1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of electric ovens and more particularly to a rotatable cooking apparatus for cooking food items such as a pizza.
2. Description of the Art
In the field of food preparation and particularly cooking of pizzas, it is well known to utilize a conventional electric oven. However, several common problems are associated with using a conventional oven such as having to wait to preheat the oven to begin cooking and uneven cooking of the pizza in the oven. For example, a conventional oven often has hot spots where heat is concentrated in a particular area of the oven and this leads to overcooking a portion of the pizza adjacent the hot spot while other portions of the pizza may not be fully cooked. Often it is difficult to ensure that the crust of the pizza is fully cooked without overcooking the top of the pizza. Additionally, cooking the pizza often results in drippings of toppings and other ingredients which fall onto the surfaces of the oven.
In view of the problems associated with using a conventional oven to cook a pizza, it is known in the field of electric ovens to have an electric oven specifically designed for use in cooking pizzas or other similar types of foods. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,496,987 is directed to an electric oven particularly designed for cooking pizzas. In such a device, the oven includes heating coils which are supported above a base portion of the oven so that an entire pizza can be positioned between the coils for cooking the pizza. One problem with such a device is that since the heating coils extend over the entire portion of the pizza, the size or "footprint" of the oven is relatively large and is not efficient for use or storage by a consumer in a kitchen environment, for example on a kitchen counter.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,586,488 discloses a portable pizza oven which includes a fixed upper and lower casing having an upper heater assembly and a lower heater assembly located within the casings. A pan is insertable into the cooking chamber so that the entire pizza is disposed between the upper and lower heater assemblies to cook the pizza. Again the size of the device is cumbersome or inefficient for a consumer as the upper and lower casings containing the heater assembly are sized so that an entire pizza can fit within the upper and lower casing.
What is needed is an apparatus which provides for fast, efficient cooking of a food item such as a pizza and which is convenient and efficient in a kitchen environment by having a relatively small footprint for easy use and storage. What is further needed is an apparatus for cooking a pizza or other food item in which the application of heat to the food item is applied in such a way to allow even cooking of the food item throughout the entire food item.